Struthers football team played Poland in the second round of the OHSAA playoffs on November 3 away at Poland.
The team that wins will advance to round three of the playoffs while the other team’s season will be over.
On November 3rd, Poland’s stadium was packed with fans from both Poland and Struthers. The teams played each other the week before with Poland taking the win. This time, Struthers took the win for the second round of the playoffs, finishing Poland’s season. It was a very close game the entire time, but Struthers took the lead in the end leaving the score 28-25.
Coach Bayuk, the head coach for Struthers, was excited and proud of the win.
“It always feels good to redeem yourself against an opponent but it felt even better getting to week 13 of the playoffs with that win,” says Bayuk.
The football team themselves experienced many challenges but never gave up. When the score got close at times, they always found a way to bounce back and take the lead again. The previous loss against Poland gave the team the motivation to beat them this time.
The fans gave the players the motivation they needed.
“The crowd helps set the mood for the game. When we see everyone there supporting us it means a lot,” says junior Devin Braham.
Along with the cheerleaders, the student section helped bring a lot of the pep and excitement. The student section’s theme that everyone dressed up for and had a good time with was Christmas. They showed support for their players and helped bring the school spirit that the team needed to win the game.
Even for the students, Struthers taking the victory meant a lot.
“Everyone was excited for the win, some were crying tears of joy,” says Tekeira Brown-Holness.The Wildcats celebrated their victory by taking it back to their home field afterwards. They congratulated their football players and showed their support for Struthers. Struthers will go on to play in the fourth round of the tournament and who knows how far they will go.
